Monday, February 27, 2012

Josh Hairston will not play for Duke when it travels to Wake Forest on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. game against the Demon Deacons.

The Blue Devils’ forward suffered a laceration under his right eye when he was hit hard by the elbow of one of Virginia Tech’s playersearly in Saturday’s Duke win. Hairston didn’t return to the bench after leaving to get treatment.

“He’s doing well, but he’s still not 100 percent, so we’re keeping him out for the game,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday morning. “Everyone else should be ready to go.”

Krzyzewski said he wasn’t sure if Hairston had a concussion or not.

“He just got hit pretty hard,” Krzyzewski said. “Once you get hit in the head, you’ve got to be careful with these kids. He’s feeling better, but he’s still not ready to go.”

Without Hairston, Krzyzewski said Duke freshman Mike Gbinije may see more minutes at power forward if the Blue Devils opt to go small.

About this blog

David Scott has been with the Observer for 28 years and has written about ACC, SEC and other college sports in the Charlotte region. He covers Wake Forest, South Carolina and college soccer for the Observer and (Raleigh) News & Observer.

J.P. Giglio covers the ACC for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1997, and the Observer.

Andrew Carter covers the North Carolina Tar Heels for the Observer and News & Observer.

Laura Keeley covers the Duke Blue Devils for the Observer and News & Observer. Follow her on Twitter.

Chip Alexander covers the Carolina Hurricanes and college football for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1979, and the Observer.

Luke DeCock has worked for The News & Observer since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist for the Observer and News & Observer in August 2008.

Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining the sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.